Texas Right to Life releases 85th Legislative Session Scorecards

Despite the vicious politics of the leadership of the Texas House of Representatives, the regular and special sessions of the 85th Texas Legislature yielded several Pro-Life legislative victories. The regular session saw the successful passage of the Dismemberment Abortion Ban, and during the special session, multiple Pro-Life bills were passed and signed by Governor Abbott, including Patient Consent for Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) Orders and Pro-Life Health Insurance Reform—measures that had been blocked by House leadership until Governor Abbott intervened.

Following each session of the Texas Legislature, Texas Right to Life releases the Pro-Life Scorecard to inform Texas voters of where legislators stand on various Life issues. The Pro-Life Scorecard is the most reliable tool available to Texas voters about who leads, who follows, and who is subverting Pro-Life legislative efforts under the Capitol dome.

Scores for legislators are calculated based on how they voted on specific Pro-Life and anti-Life bills and amendments, listed below, as well as if they publicly made a stand against or attempted to weaken a Pro-Life measure. Each vote is weighted, and those members who voted correctly earned points for that vote. Legislators who voted incorrectly did not earn points for that vote. Additionally, when members recorded an anti-Life statement in the Journal of the Texas House, they earned negative points.

The extra commentary offers ancillary accounts of behind-the-scenes and off-the-record actions of legislators, explaining how they advanced or hindered Pro-Life legislation.

An additional tool for voters is Texas Right to Life’s roster of 2017 Pro-Life Heroes and Disappointments. The Pro-Life Heroes will be announced on Thursday and the Pro-Life Disappointments will be unveiled on Friday. Additionally, an individual report detailing each state legislator’s votes will be released on Monday.